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Ten

19 December 2016

The book was so boring, but it was the only thing that got her mind off of him. When reading it, all she could think about was the terrible sentence structure, the poor grammar, and how the author managed to get that piece of trash published. She then wondered how in the world she ended up with it. Those thoughts were coupled with whether or not she should buy a new chair because the stool she sat on was extremely uncomfortable.

Winter wind whipped at the window and door, rattling the glass. Both were closed to keep the biting cold out, but it seeped in when the door opened slightly and a man slithered in before closing it behind him. He was wearing all black with the hood of his jacket pulled up. She could tell it was Yoongi just by looking at his back as his hand lingered on the doorknob.

An involuntary smile tugged at her lips. He was okay. Though, when he turned around to face her, his gaze was directed at the floor and he said nothing while approaching the counter. His hood was still pulled up and he didn't spare her even a glance as he skirted around the counter and got down to sit on the floor, back against the wooden cabinet, in the exact same spot he hid from the gangster that night. Only now, his legs were stuck straight out, ankles crossed over the other.

Victoria frowned. He was okay but was he actually okay? She only continued to stare at him as he brought his hood down, exposing his hair that was black again. His face was straight as usual when he wasn't smirking. A true tsundere. If he was aware of her stare, he didn't let her know. He only leaned his head back to rest against the wood and closed his eyes, hands clasped in his lap.

She sighed deeply, taking a moment to admire his long lashes and doll-like lips that looked so soft but swore like a sailor. The urge to reach out and touch his face hit her like a semi, but she resisted, settling on resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she gazed down at him fondly.

"No apology gifts today?" Victoria asked quietly, still smiling.

Yoongi shook his head, the back of his hair flattening when rubbed against the wood. "Nope." She only continued to stare at him until he spoke again—albeit bitterly. "You never said you had a boyfriend."

"I don't." The accusation was a bit shocking, as she had never said anything to give him that indication.

He pursed his lips slightly with indignance before responding. "Then who was that guy you were hugging just outside the other day?"

Victoria furrowed her eyebrows. Yoongi saw that? Was he going to visit but decided not to because of him? "My cousin, Jimin." His eyes flew open, lips pursing further into embarrassment while his cheeks pinked. "Minnie. I've told you about him before."
    "I see." He cleared his throat and lowered his head a bit, one hand going to smooth the back of his hair. "So, do you get a lot of business other than me?"

She shrugged. Candles weren't exactly in high demand. Most of her customers were newlyweds or people looking for a quick gift for a birthday or anniversary. Her favorite times were when families came in. Young parents bringing their little kids to look at and smell everything. She loved kids. "These days? Not really."

"Then why don't you try making something else?"

"I love making candles." Her voice was soft, almost as soft as Yoongi's eyes as he looked up at her.

He turned his gaze to the lone candle on the single shelf that looked like it was handmade from the bottom. His slender finger pointed upward at it. "Does it have something to do with that one?"

Victoria didn't have to follow his eyes to know what he was talking about. "You could say that."

"What's so special about it?" His gaze was back on her, hands back in his lap.

"My dad made it."

Yoongi was silent for a while. From the things that she had said, it sounded like Victoria was all alone or at least felt alone—just like him. But if she had a family then where was everybody? "You love your dad?"

She nodded, averting her gaze. "Very much."

"Well, where's pops now?"

"Dead."

The manner in which it slipped out was so harsh and cold that he was almost convinced that someone else said it. Victoria was picking at the spine of her book, which was very worn out. Her jaw was clenched, memories seeming to swim in her eyes.

Yoongi bit his lip. He didn't expect her to say that at all. "Shit, Vic...I'm—"

"It's okay," she cut him off. "You didn't know."

He sighed, almost sure that she would never want to talk to him again. But then she got off of the stool and sat right next to Yoongi on the floor—so close that their legs and shoulders were touching. "That stool is so uncomfortable. I need to buy an actual chair."

He only smiled at her. He was grateful that Victoria wasn't emotionally unavailable like he could be at times or like his past affairs. She was hurting because of the memory of her dead father that she loved and instead of clamming up, she was subtly reaching out to him. He was touched.

So touched, in fact, that it possessed him to reach over an inch and take her hand in his own, stroking her knuckles with his thumb slowly and soothingly. She turned her head to look at him in surprise, heat rising to her face.

"But...we weren't arguing."

Yoongi turned to look back, painfully aware of how close their faces were. "Maybe I don't always have to hold your hand because we argue. Maybe sometimes I just want to hold your hand. And I want to hold your hand right now." His words came out bold and confident, but then he stared into her eyes and began to feel a bit small. He pressed his lips together before continuing quietly. "Is—is that okay?"

Victoria looked away with a shy smile and nodded. A furious blush was creeping up her neck. She'd never felt that way around anyone—about anyone. The only thing she could think to do was lower her head to rest on his shoulder. Once she did so, a content sigh left her. Yoongi was warm and comforting, even more so when he laid his head on hers.

"Yeah. It's okay."

-

A/N: MURR DURR writing this gave me the butterflies man. Shit bouta go down buckle up guys. Not you, Jamie ;)